The proposed legislation will require all public and private companies with 25 or more employees to acquire certification stating that they provide equal pay for work of equal value. If the legislation passes, companies will be expected to comply with this requirement by the year 2022. While Iceland has had more general equal pay laws for around 50 years, the "activist" nature of this legislation—in that puts the burden of proving equal pay on companies—is expected to help accelerate the closing of the gender pay gap.

Iceland is not the first-ever country to propose that employers certify that they provide equal pay; indeed, several others countries have enacted this requirement, as has, interestingly, the state of Minnesota. However, Iceland's proposed law is novel in that it requires both public and private employers to provide certified evidence of equal pay for equal work. No other country or U.S. state has ever enacted such a comprehensive equal pay certification requirement.

Iceland's commitment to gender equality and to taking proactive measures to try to rapidly close the gender pay gap should serve as an inspiration to all other countries. As Thorsteinn Viglundsson, Iceland's Equality and Social Affairs Minister stated, "Equal rights are human rights. We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace...You have to dare to take new steps, to be bold in the fight against injustice." Other countries should heed Viglundsson's words and consider following Iceland's lead when it comes to promoting gender equality with concerted and comprehensive legislation.